Carve Her Name with Pride (1958)

Sadly Over-hyped

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Comedies such as 'ALLO 'ALLO have a lot to answer for. While watching some of the scenes where Violette Szabo (Virginia McKenna) is interrogated by the Nazis, I couldn't help recalling parallel scenes where Herr Flick (Richard Gibson) did exactly the same thing, aided (or is it abetted) by the leggy Helga (Kim Hartman) in the Lloyd/Croft British sitcom. This offers a good example of how time can modify our perceptions of a text.On its own terms, however, Lewis Gilbert's film is a quietly understated biopic of a naive girl with a French mother (Denise Grey) who marries a Frenchman (Alain Saury) in a whirlwind romance. He loses his life at El Alamein, and Violette responds by becoming an agent parachuted into occupied France. Together with her partner Tony Fraser (Paul Scofield in one of his rare screen appearances) they accomplish one mission successfully, but things go horribly wrong when Violette embarks on her second, more dangerous assignment.The film has some good action sequences, shot in and around Pinewood Studios, but Gilbert's principal focus centers on the characters' interrelationships - between Violette and her father (Jack Warner), who knows what she is doing, but agrees voluntarily to keep it a secret. Violette's relationship with Tony could bloom into love, but both know that they could lose their lives at any moment, so they agree to keep it platonic. McKenna portrays the central character as an ordinary woman with an extraordinary inner strength giving her the courage to undertake the missions while remaining determined to resist any attempts to force vital information out of her.Her transition from ordinary homemaker to toughened agent is lucidly handled, as she is at first intimidated by and then learns to cope with her uncompromising NCO instructor (Bill Owen). It is a tribute to her strength that she learns to cope with various ordeals, of being ducked in the river, of walking home on a filthy wet night, and handling a shotgun. The training proves invaluable for her later on, when she has to take on a platoon of pursuing Nazis virtually single-handed.Despite her hopes, Violette Szabo never made it back from the War, leaving her daughter Tanya (Pauline Challoner) to collect a George Medal from King George VI. As Tanya returns to her quiet suburban home with her grandmother and grandfather, we can but reflect that it was chiefly due to Violette's selfless efforts that Britain and the Allies managed to emerge triumphant from six years of conflict.

First, truth in advertising...this is actually the hubby of the family.Second, I knew absolutely nothing about this movie before I picked it out of the Amazon Instant Video queue...and it was free, to boot. But, it would have been well worth it had there been a charge. Third, THIS IS AN AWESOME MOVIE! It is a smarmy, patriotic, romantic, hero-worshiping (heroine-worshiping?)and completely AWESOME movie. If they let me, I'd give this movie a 15 out of 10!I can't imagine why the various women's groups don't have this flick on all of their "must-see movie" lists...but they really should. And this is a gent speaking. "Women's Lib" didn't start in the 1960s.Why the heck can't Hollywood make great, inspiring movies like this one, anymore? I think if you invest two hours of your life in this particular movie, you'll consider it time well-spent. You'll also gain insights into the risks...and prices paid...of some unique and brave men and women during World War 2. I recommend completely and without reservation.

This film is a true-life story about a female secret agent that worked for the British in Nazi-occupied France. She was recruited since she was fluent in the language and she willingly went into harm's way--even though she had a daughter back home staying with her parents. The film shows her recruitment, training and a couple of her missions. I would say more but I don't want to ruin the film.The film earns kudos for sticking pretty close to the real life events. It didn't change her life story to make it more glamorous or to give it a happy ending. She knew her job and did it. The choices of actors worked well, too, as again they weren't glamorous and seemed like normal folks. All in all, one of the better WWII films and it's the story of an incredibly brave lady whose exploits deserve to be remembered.

I appreciate that much of what should have been included was not, due no doubt, to restrictions by the official secrets act so soon after the war. It is a good film, but sadly lacking in essential truth. The nonsense of her husband reciting 'The life that I have', the omission of the exciting, alarming and memorable details of her sorties in France and the woeful glossing over of the horror of her incarceration, torture and execution creates a combination that so understates the magnificence of Violette that I view it as an offence against her spirit. If you disagree with my view then please get yourself a copy of R J Minney's book, read it, and then try the magnificent 'Between Silk and Cyanide' by Leo Marks. With the knowledge now available, the incredible technical accomplishments of the film industry and the recent opening of the Violette Szabo Museum, we should be campaigning for a remake that tells the real story. A job for Peter Jackson? Ray